The Epic of Tetsusaia
by Maya Beebop
Summary: Inuyasha's father kept more secrets from his sons than once thought.  But a demon who claims that they are the guardian spirit of the Tetsusaiga?
1. The Demon's Wake

The girl breathed softly as she tended to the shrine's statues. 

_They will pay for the injustice I have served…_

***

Inuyasha scouted out the area. "Yeah, this looks like a good place to camp. Let's bed down here."

Miroku grabbed Kagome's waist. "You can…bed with _me_, if you feel lonely, that is."

She slapped him a good one.

"Filthy lecher," she muttered to herself as she stalked away.

"Now see what you did!" Shippou squealed. He bounded off to her side as she spread out her sleeping bag.

"I don't get it," Miroku commented to Inuyasha. "She always refuses _me_, but that little fox is always welcome with her!"

"Maybe it's because all _you_ wanna do is-…" He was cut short. A noise rung out through the forest around them. It sounded like shrieks.

"No time to sleep _now_! That sounded like a demon!" Inuyasha claimed. He leapt up to the top of a tree. 

"What do you see, Inuyasha?" Kagome called up to him.

"A village. Not too far off. But I don't see any-…"

A huge chunk of rock and dirt came flying at him. He darted out of the way. The piece of ground skimmed the tops of the trees before sinking into the forest a few miles away.

"Correction. I _do_ see signs of a demon. Let's go!" He jumped down, and lifted Kagome onto his back.

Shippou started to protest.

"_She's_ the one that can see jewel shards. We'll meet you there!" Inuyasha bounded off with Kagome.

"Well, we're walking, I suppose. Let's leave our belongings here. Should trouble arise, we won't have to worry about leaving them behind at the village," Miroku said.

***

Inuyasha dropped Kagome. The sight before them was quite strange. There was no sign of any trouble. It was a perfectly normal village. Women picked rice in the fields nearby. Men butchered animals. Children played in the dirt path before them.

"Maybe we can see what's going on in _there_." Kagome pointed to a temple up the road apiece. 

They walked up, amidst stares and whispers, only to see a priest out front waiting for them.

"I see you were drawn by the noises…"

"Yes. What's going on?" Kagome inquired.

"Come in, come in." He motioned for them to follow him.

They entered into a main antechamber. There were a few benches on the sides of the room and a sliding door on the back wall. The priest sat down at a table set with tea. Kagome and Inuyasha sat, too.

"Dear me!" The priest had caught a glance of Inuyasha's ears. "You're a demon!"

"Please tell us about the screams," Kagome goaded.

The priest sighed. "It is not easy to explain. There are sometimes earthquakes, and some of the women and children are still unaccustomed to them. That was where the shrieks came from. Now, since you have traveled all this way, have some tea with me. You're tired. Please." 

He lifted the kettle and placed it in front of them. Kagome was doubtful, but poured herself a cup. As she was about to take a sip, Inuyasha hit the cup from her hands!

It clattered onto the floor. "Don't drink that, Kagome! Don't trust it!"

The priest sputtered. "Wha-what is the meaning of this?"


	2. The Temple's Secret

"Anyone who'd lie about women and children screaming would just as easily lie about their food! Earthquakes don't throw giant boulders of stone and dirt through the air for miles! If there were an earthquake, houses would have been knocked down! And people certainly wouldn't be so calm two minutes after one ends! Tell us the _truth!_" Inuyasha bellowed.

Miroku and Shippou had just entered to hear the explanation and the rebuttal, guided to the temple by the fearful villagers.

The priest sighed again. "I _had_ hoped…that you wouldn't see through the story. Yes, it is fiction. Every bit of it. You see…"

"There's another demon here, isn't there?" Miroku asked.

Inuyasha nodded fiercely. "I can smell it…"

The priest nodded. "There is. But not as you would expect. Come with me." He stood and opened the sliding door. 

The group walked over. There, before them, was a whole other room! There was a group of men and women, looking very sick. A troupe of temple women were nursing them to health.

"Which of these maidens would you suspect as a demon?"

The priest's question came as a total surprise.

Kagome was the first to answer. "You mean…one of these girls is a demon?"

He nodded. "You see the girl in the corner there? The one in the blue kimono decorated with cranes and her somewhat short brown hair? That is she. That is _it_."

All they could see was her back and hair. She seemed to be polishing a statue.

They were dumbfounded.

Kagome rubber her eyes. "Is it just me, or does she have on a very strange necklace?"

The priest closed the door and went back to the table. "That jewel you saw her wearing is call the Jewel of the Mortals. Many years ago, a fierce demon rampaged our village. She would constantly return, searching for something.

"One day, when a high priest and priestess guarded this temple, she came too close. The priest muttered some words and the priestess threw a necklace into the air. The clear, prism cube pendant on the necklace shone like water in the moonlight and the chain fastened itself around the flying demon's neck. She clawed at it for a few seconds, the fainted and fell to earth.

"Soon after, a new maiden had appeared in the temple. She was dressed in a blue kimono with white cranes on it, and was told to clean the many things in the shrine. She was never to come near the villagers. Only the priest and priestess were to speak to her.

"We soon realized that the magic of the Jewel of the Mortals was used to subdue the mighty demon. With it around her neck, she had the body, if not the soul, of a human. She had none of her powers, and she was blind. 

"Children these days are more prone to noticing how otherworldly she is. Some sob when she passes. She is a prisoner of our village, and heaven help the day she is free to take her revenge."

Kagome gasped. "But…but she can't get her powers back, can she?"

The priest lowered his head and let out a breath of air. "No, unless she finds her necklace's counterpart, the Jewel of the Demons. Even if she manages to remove the chain she wears now, only her sight will return. She would need to touch the fabled Jewel of the Demons to regain all her powers and more."

Inuyasha was still angry about the lies. "Feh. Didn't need to tell _me_."

Miroku was almost flabbergasted. "You mean…the Jewel of the Demons exists?"

The priest nodded. "It does, but it has never been seen. We can only hope it had been done away with, but even _that_ is too much to hope for. So long as the Jewel of the Mortals exists, so does its counterpart."

They all turned as a noise behind them. The girl! She had somehow groped her way through the shrine, opened the door, and crawled near the priest. She was a sad sight. Even if her hair was done up as a priestess', her eyes were sealed and the lids were tinted a rosy pink. Her mouth was twisted into a scowl and she grabbed the priest's robes and pulled herself up.

"D-d-damn you…" she managed to utter. The years of silence had weakened her voice.

"Back! Back into the shrine, demon!" the priest yelled, standing up and casting her off. She fell to the floor with a sickening thud, but she hadn't passed out. Kagome winced.

"Did you…did you have to throw her like that? After all, she _is_ still in a girl's body. She can still _feel_ things, can't she?"

The priest had finished dragging her into the other room and shutting the door.   
Yes, but now as you and I feel. Hers is only a weak pressure, since the body is not hers. It is merely a shell around her _real_ body."

All were silent for a moment, until Kagome broke the silence. 

"But how does that explain the huge boulder flying through the air?"

"When her rage becomes to great for her to bear, a great amount of it is let loose. Sometimes, it causes an earthquake. Other times, it displaces earth and may send it flying out as if from a blast."

"So that was her anger…"

"Yes."

Inuyasha finally spoke. "So who _is_ this demon you've been holding captive?"

The priest could hardy contain his fear at the sound of her name.

"Tetsusaia."


	3. The Plan

***

Inuyasha lay on his back, staring at the roof, as all the others slept in their room in the temple.

"Feh. I'll never get to sleep. Not knowing _she's_ nearby. I've heard of her. The fabled Tetsusaia. The namesake of my sword. Someone gave her that name in relation to my father. I _have_ to know."

He sat up. In doing so, he stirred Kagome. She opened her eyes and whispered to him so as not to disturb the sleeping Miroku or Shippou.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing still awake? Is it the girl?" Kagome asked.

"That's _no_ girl. It's Tetsusaia. Many demons tremble at the sound of her name. She's just as mighty as I am…even more so. I just can't figure it out though…"

"Figure _what_ out?"

"How anyone could have trapped her like that. It doesn't seem real. She _can't_ have been reduced to a mere temple maiden."

"No offense or anything, Inuyasha, but _you're_ being held by that necklace." She grinned. They were speaking normally now, and still the other two did not waken.

"Of all the-! …Never mind. Still, I just can't see it. How could a mere necklace keep her in limbo all these years? I mean, the last time I saw her was before Kikyo…"

Inuyasha paused at her name. Kagome wasn't flustered, however, so he continued.

"Before I was pinned to that tree. We had a battle, and I came out the loser. Pretty bad scrapes, that time. She cut me wide open with one finger!" Inuyasha recounted the memory.

"Well, now I know where she is."

Kagome made to say something, but though twice.

"What?" Inuyasha inquired.

"It's just that…well…you don't feel _sorry_ for her, do you?"

He was blazing. "It's not like I _care_ about what happened to her! It was her own damn fault for messing up and got caught! Now she'll have to do her time like anyone else!"

"You…_do_ feel bad for her."

Inuyasha couldn't say anything to her after that.

Kagome began talking to herself, then. "So why don't we just let her loose?"

"_Let_ her _LOOSE_?! Kagome, do you have any idea what she'd do to this village of we helped her get free?! She wouldn't spare us, even if we _did_ save her! What're you _thinking_?!" Inuyasha yelled.

Miroku and Shippou woke. "What's all the noise about?" Shippou asked.

"Nothing. Go back to sleep, it's none of your business," Inuyasha stated meanly.

Miroku was quick to end the dispute. "We have a right to know what the plans are. I hope you don't mind, Kagome, but I've been awake this whole time. I heard what you said about freeing Tetsusaia, and I don't think it's a good idea."

Shippou sided with Kagome. "Hey, it's not right for a demon to be a slave to a bunch of mean villagers. We should let her go! It goes against everything a demon stands for."

For once, he had a point.

"I guess you're right, Shippou. But what good will it do to get the chain off of her? You heard what the priest said! She's gotta touch that Jewel of the Demons to get her powers back!" Inuyasha proclaimed/

"And she won't get a chance to, I can assure you of that!"

They all turned at the voice. There, in the doorway of the room, was the priest. Enraged at the mere though of their plans, he spat out one last phrase before they all lost consciousness.

"Tetsusaia will never be free, so long as I live. We'll _see_ who saves whom!"


	4. Abducted!

***

They all awoke with their hands bound and each tied to a pole in the ground of another room. There were a few small differences, though. 

Inuyasha was in his human form! Black hair and no ears, he was also missing Tetsusaiga, which hung on a rope from the roof in the center of the room. Shippou looked very strange. His fangs were gone and so was his fluffy tail! He looked just like a human boy!

Kagome was the first to notice the small scraps of paper on the twine about the two demons' necks.

"What are _those_?"

Miroku told them. "Those are Mortal Scrolls. I've heard of them. They have generally the same effect as the Jewel of the Mortals, except not as permanent. They've turned our two demons into humans."

"What about us?" Kagome asked.

"Well, take a look at yourself!" Inuyasha barked.

She looked down. Believe it or not, she was wearing a bit of twine too! Looking farther down, she noticed her hands were painted with some kind of ink. Now that she though about it, she felt like she was missing something. That's it! She couldn't feel Kikyo in her! That priest must have rendered her magical elements useless!

Miroku was just as bad off. His staff lay near the door, and out of his reach. He too wore a scroll and twine, along with painted hands. His prayer beads, though, lay untouched. At least the priest didn't know about his wind tunnel.

"Well, this is a bit of a predicament," Miroku commented like he was speaking about the weather.

"Ya think? We're all screwed while that priest is probably off somewhere laughing his head off that he caught two demons and two humans with magic powers!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Inuyasha, nothing can be gained by yelling. Shippou, are you alright?" Miroku asked.

"Yeah, I think I'm fine. But _man_ my head hurts!"

Kagome silently screamed. A figure stood in the doorway, but in the fading light they couldn't tell who it was.

"You say you can save me... I heard the priest ranting about it. Help me, and I shall spare you."

"Tet-Tet-Tetsusaia!" Inuyasha stammered.


	5. A Deal is Made

"You say you can help me. Can you?" the demon almost sounded like she was pleading.

Kagome was the only one who could answer. "We can set you free, but we can't help you get your powers back. We don't know where the Jewel of the Demons is."

The girl faltered, then sank to the ground. She almost whispered to them.

"S-save…me…"

The priest had returned.

He had somehow made Tetsusaia collapse, and now that she was unconscious, he spoke to them.

"You'll do no such thing. All of you are helpless, and you shall be fed one by one to another demon that makes weekly trips here. See, he needs to have one mortal to eat every visit, or he'll destroy us. I figure you'll all suffice for one week each. Except this little one. He'll be more useful as a temple boy. We can always use another to clean."

Inuyasha laughed. "Set us free and I'll _rid_ you of that demon. I'm stronger than anything that needs to eat people."

This time, it was the priest's turn to laugh. "Ha! Don't be ridiculous! This demon is far bigger and mightier than you are! What could such a small demon such as yourself do against a giant such as he?"

"Let me _free_, and I'll _show_ you."

The priest had stopped laughing. "No. This is some trick! You shall be eaten none the less, and he shall be angrier that you fought him. He might start demanding _two_ people a visit! Or worse…" The priest shuddered.

"Let me out. Put a hex on me if you're so worried. Make it so that if I try to escape, you can draw me back."

Kagome couldn't believe her ears. Inuyasha requesting a spell? Never! But here he was, working his honor code!

"Hmm…fine! I shall do just that! But should you fail to defeat him, your punishment will be greater than any demon has ever suffered at the hand of humans!"

The priest began to chant. The scrolls around Inuyasha's neck disappeared. His hair began to wave in an unseen wind as it lightened to its usual white. His ears grew out of his tresses and his ropes loosened.

"Heh. Now let's make a deal. I beat him, you let us all go."

Kagome put her two cents in. "And you let Tetsusaia go with us!"

"WHAT?!"

Inuyasha was dumbfounded. How could Kagome _do_ that? Weasel that demon into _his_ deal?

"You heard me! If Inuyasha wins, _we_ get Tetsusaia!"

"And if he doesn't?" the priest mentioned insidiously, wringing his hands.

"Then…then you can do what you like with us."

"KA_GO_ME!"

"I agree. Kagome, you really shouldn't throw us _all_ into a deal like that." Miroku added.

"Fine. The deal is done. The demon you seek will appear at sunrise. Wait for him, Inuyasha. If you run, I use my spell and you forfeit the deal." The priest seemed very sure of himself.

"At sunrise then." Inuyasha went outside and sat in a tree, awaiting dawn…


	6. Kagome, Miroku, and Shippou, Stolen!

***

Inuyasha was jolted awake by huge thumps on the ground and scattered women's shrieks. Far in the distance, he could see the rising silhouette of a creature far larger than he was. He gripped the hilt of the Tetsusaiga and drew it out. The transformation was instant since he was defending countless humans this time.

The creature came into view against the rising sun. It was a giant worm-dog. The fuzzy skin looked rock-hard and the face was a twisted mass of flesh and scars. Teeth, jagged and sharp, stuck out from its jaw and five horns graced its brow.

"So. You're the demon that's been eating humans, huh?" Inuyasha inquired.

The thing growled a hideous noise, like glass breaking and screams and howls and all other despicable noises. Inuyasha just grinned and gripped the Tetsusaiga harder.

"You won't survive till noon. I shall destroy you and free my friends. Nothing personal, but I can tell by your stench that you've been eating defenseless women and children of late. I find that extremely cowardly in a demon. You ought to be _ashamed!_"

With his last word, Inuyasha slashed at the creature with the Tetsusaiga. The sword cut through the demon like a hot knife through butter and a blast of light emitted from its core. It fell in two pieces and Inuyasha was drenched in what must have been its blood. It stained his robes and the dirt was bathed in a blue-black shower.

The priest was standing on the steps of the temple in disbelief. 

"No…_no! You can't have defeated him! _This is _wrong!_" He dashed inside and shut the doors. Inuyasha heard him lock the sliding walls.

"Oh _no _you _don't_! I'll _destroy_ your filthy temple to get them back!" Inuyasha bellowed. He rushed at the doors with the glowing Tetsusaiga and smashed them down. The priest was nowhere to be seen.

Another priest, a younger one, came up to him.

"Good sir, surely you seek our master? The priest Yokamoto? He is in our back room. May I take you to him?"

"Sure. Lead me to your snake of a priest! He's got my friends prisoner and I'm doling out some well deserved revenge."

"Surely, good sir, you art the man who has slain our bane? That great demon that devoured of our villagers? Thou art quite powerful to destroy him with a single stroke!" the priest marveled.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry to interrupt, but you're wasting precious time. Where's this back room?!"

"Here, good sir. In here…what's this? Dear me! It seems to be locked!" The young priest tugged at the door.

"Never mind that. They're not in there anyway. Take me to the main shrine and get me Tetsusaia." Inuyasha said, exasperated.

The priest gasped.

"Sir, we never speak her name. She draws power from the mere sounds."

"Just take me! I have to have her help!"

"Her _help_, sir?!"

Inuyasha was already down the hall. He flung open the doors and searched the room. The maidens were screaming and huddled in the corners with the sick and wounded. It seemed that a giant hole had been blasted through the walls.

"Probably for their escape…" Inuyasha guessed.

But the real problem was that he couldn't see Tetsusaia. She was either captive…or had made it out herself.

"Damn!" Inuyasha started running out of the temple and into the forest…


	7. Tetsusaia Free!

***

He came upon a great tree. Sniffing, Inuyasha smelt a demon in the branches. He looked up.

"Tetsusaia."

She smirked and looked at him. Gesturing, she also pointed out the figure of the priest, lying on the ground, bathed in blood. "He was a fool. I ended his foolishness. But I also relieved him of _these_." She pointed up to a higher branch. 

There, writhing, were Kagome, Miroku, and Shippou! They now were gagged, tied back-to-back-to-back and looked at Inuyasha with frightened eyes.

"You said you'd get them free! You said you'd spare us your wrath!"

She laughed a high-pitched, sinister chuckle. "Only if _you_ helped _me_! I got free on my own!"

Inuyasha stood, blazing, not daring to attack yet. A trio of priests from the temple came into the grove, drawn by the racket. The young priest was with them.

"Oh no! The demon, she has gotten away! Quick, priests, chant!" The three began a spiritual spell.

"Ha! Take me back, and I'll slaughter these three! They're only mortal! No powers, no immortality, no nothing! They are mine! Inuyasha, if you want them back, throw me the Tetsusaiga!"

He was taken aback. How _dare_ she make such demands! But the only way to get the three back unharmed was to do as she wished. He began lifting the sword…

"No! Master demon, if you give her such a thing, she shall kill them nonetheless. You must think your actions!" the priest protested.

"Heh, you're beginning to sound like Miroku up there. But what choice do I have?"

"Master demon, if you give her the sword, she'll be able to remove the-…"

But it was too late. Tetsusaia had swept down, grabbed Inuyasha's sword, and leapt back to the tree branch. Removing the blade from its sheath, she yelled to them, smugly, "_Now_ we'll see which is stronger! The famous Tetsusaiga, or the Jewel of the Mortals!"

Slipping the curved steep between her neck and the chain, she thrust her full weight against the strip of gold holding the Jewel to her. With a resounding snap and a bright light, the chain broke!

Tetsusaia clutched the gem and necklace in her hand. "Well, _here's_ your precious gem! Did you _really_ think it would hold a mighty demon forever?!" She threw it down to one of the priests' feet.

"Oh no…oh dear! She-she's _free_!" he moaned.


	8. Tetsusaia's True Form is Revealed!

The young priest interjected. "No she's not! She may be out of our control, but she does not yet have her powers back! She would need the Jewel of the-…"

"Demons," she finished for him. "And the only way to find it is in this sheath." She held it up. Strangely, an inner light began to glow from it. From the smooth, curving surface of wood and steel shone the outline of two dragons, facing one another. Between them was the image of a blazing pearl-shaped gem!

With a laugh, Tetsusaia dropped the sheath to the tree branch and plunged the point of the Tetsusaiga into the center of the image of the pearl. A great light shot from the point where the two met, and Tetsusaia's grinning face could be seen through the blinding shine. Suddenly, a wind sprang up, and out of the sky dropped a furiously spinning tornado of fire! 

The blazing cyclone twisted and contorted, finally shrinking and shaping to form a small ball. The ball shone like fury and glowed like a thousand facets covered its smooth surface, reflecting the light of a thousand suns.

The ball fell to Tetsusaia's waiting hand. She gripped it with a determined look and beamed maliciously upon the onlookers: Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Shippou, and the three priests.

"And so, with this unseen yet foretold Jewel, I shall regain my lost soul and roam the earth once more." Tetsusaia grasped the gem as a whirlwind of light, color and sound spun about her. If one looked closely, one could possibly see a whitish, cloud-shaped thing being sucked out of her, and another being blown in. The exchange of souls was complete, and she dropped the Jewel of the Demons.

Her true form began to reveal itself. No more was she the temple girl of the brown hair and eyes and the blue, crane-decorated kimono. She was a startling, long, black-haired maiden with an outfit resembling Kaede's, with a blood-red shirt and black pants. 

Her eyes blazed the red color demons often took on when enraged, and she lifted off the branch, hovering in the air. Her bare feet looked like they were on fire with purple flames dancing in the wind. But they had seen that before, in regards to Hiten of the Thunder Brothers and his spinning, flaming wheels that helped _him_ fly.

Finally, her eyes softened to their true color, a royal purple, as she looked on the scene. "I see you are all dumbfounded. No matter. You three are now useless to me, I shall return you to your precious Inuyasha as thanks for your kindness, if not _helpfulness_, to me." 

She lifted her hand and their bonds and gags fell to earth. Kagome, Shippou, and Miroku hopped down, though it was a pretty steep fall.

"Where did she go?" Shippou asked when they touched ground.

All looked up.

"Oh, she's off somewhere. Saw her chance and took it," Inuyasha explained.

"What about the Tetsusaiga?" Kagome inquired. Inuyasha looked around.

"Damn! She took the sheath! All she left was the sword!" he yelled.

"Isn't that the important part?" Miroku commented.

The priests were looking crestfallen. "I foreshadow that there is not much left of our village, now that she had been loose for this long." The young priest said, sadly.

"This _long_?! She's only been gone a few minutes!" Kagome pointed out.

"That is all it takes for a demon of her stature to reduce a small village such as ours to rubble," one priest commented. 

"Well, let's take a look at the damage done," Inuyasha goaded.

They went back to the village. What they were expecting to see what peanuts compared to what the looked on at.


	9. The Sheath is Found

The houses were burnt to the ground. The temple, shattered like kindling. Fields and roads torn up as if a giant with a shovel had come along to plant bulbs. But the strange thing was there were no bodies! That was because the people had taken refuge in the nearby forest when they saw the priests leaving to hunt down Tetsusaia. Lucky for them, she didn't bother to hunt _them_ down, and merely destroyed their village.

"Well, it's not _that_ bad. Luckily there's no one dead," Miroku said optimistically.

"I still want that sheath back. I can't control the Tetsusaiga's power without it." Inuyasha was stubborn.

"Well, her scent should still be fresh. Go sniff her our!" Shippou demanded.

"Good idea…" Inuyasha started smelling the air. "I got her!" He started running into the forest.

"It seems our Tetsusaia never left the forest after all. Or if she did, she destroyed the village and returned to it, thinking we'd suspect her of being gone for good," Miroku deducted.

"You think so?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha was back in the grove. Immediately, her checked the tree and grinned when he saw Tetsusaia lazing in one of the uppermost branches, hugging the sheath.

"I see you're still here," he called to her.

She looked down at him with a faint smile. 'Now that I have avenged my tormented soul, I can reveal my real nature. In truth, Inuyasha, I never felt anything against you. I merely want to see the sheath up close once more. Then I shall gladly return it to you." Her words were mysterious, but Inuyasha was jolted from his puzzling when he heard a rustle in the bushes. 

"Come out of there!" Inuyasha demanded. From behind him, he heard Kagome's voice.

"Sheesh, alright! We're all here! Shippou, did you give us away?"

Miroku interjected. "I don't think it was Shippou. Inuyasha's nose is a great tool."

"But…if _you're_ over _there_, then who's…?" Inuyasha whipped around to see an old priestess detangle herself from the twigs and branches. The woman was gnarled and ancient, and spoke in a soft yet fragile tone.


	10. Tetsusaiga's History Unveiled

"You all have been misled greatly. The demon you see up there is in truth not a demon."

They all looked up. Tetsusaia had fallen into what seemed to be a peaceful sleep! At a time like this?!

"What do you mean, misled?" Inuyasha demanded.

"She's not a demon?" Kagome asked.

The woman bade them be silent. "I am Uranomi. Many years ago, I lived in a village in which I healed many people. Your father, Inuyasha, often visited our village. One day, he met your mother. She became pregnant and your father saw the need to protect her. He had the forger Toutousai create the Tetsusaiga from one of his fangs, along with the Tenseiga, which your brother Sesshomeru now wields. After many years of use, your father saw need for Tetsusaiga's repair and began working on it.

"Deep in the nearby forest, in a glade, your father began to tend to the mighty sword. Your mother sat nearby, looking on in wonderment and happiness as he devoted this time solely to protect her.

"Except one day, a child was drawn into the forest by the noise. She came upon the glade and saw your parents. She was frightened by the demon, and he saw her and threatened her. But as she began to run away, she tripped and fell. 

"Your mother was instantly at her side. Wiping away the frightened girl's tears, you mother offered her to stay and watch the beautiful sparks and colors emitted from the steel on stone. 

"After many days of watching, the girl grew to love your mother. Thanks to her, she had lived past your father's attack. The truth soon came out. The girl was no more than a wandering orphan. Her parents had died many years earlier from a disease.

"Finally, when the Tetsusaiga was finished, your father wished to make amends, since he had grown to like the girl. He offered her a special gift. 

"He offered her the power as the sole guardian of the Tetsusaiga. She would protect it in times of need, and would bear it into battle. Gratefully, the girl accepted. She had no family, no life, and no future. This was an opportunity she could not refuse.

"You father gave her a demon's immortal soul, but she retained her human form. She would age ten times slower than an average human. She was sworn to protect the sword from evil hands. No one could replace her.

"And that is the girl you see before you. Unnamed when your parents found her, your father deemed her 'Tetsusaia' after the blade she was to guard. She is far greater than thou, Inuyasha, and is as strong as the sword she has protected all these decades."

No one would dare mar the mood set by this old woman's story. It all made sense now! She could not bear to leave the sword, so when it went missing, she terrorized the village in suspicion that they had kept it from her. After all, the priests there were strong enough to have taken the sword from anyone.

"But what about Tenseiga? Is there a guardian for _it_?" Kagome asked of the woman.

"No. There is no need for a guardian, since only a pure-hearted entity can wield it. No evil may touch its true power, so it cannot be misused." The priestess looked up in…sorrow?…at the sleeping girl. 

__

Of course, though Kagome. _This priestess probably knew that little girl, and cared for her. She must feel pity for this wandering maiden that none of us could possibly imagine. She loved that little girl and that girl's soul is dead and gone!_

There's nothing for this woman to hold onto her memories with. Kagome herself was almost overcome with grief.


	11. No Denials

Tetsusaia stirred. "I heard every word the woman said, and I deny none of it. It is true, Inuyasha. I was there when you and Sesshomeru entered the sacred burial place of your father. I saw your battle. But because of the years of Tetsusaiga not being used, I had grown weak and tired. I could not stop either of you from taking it.

"But when I saw how you handled the Tetsusaiga, I knew you were destined to wield it. I allowed you to have it, and have followed it, and you, since then. I am never to leave the sword, Inuyasha. I am its guardian." She spoke as if it were the final say in all things.

The group turned to find Uranomi, but the old, crippled priestess was gone. She must have left while Tetsusaia spoke.

"I suppose all that is left is for me to give you back the sheath. So here, Inuyasha. Use it well." She dropped it into his hand.

"Uh…thanks." He placed the Tetsusaiga in its place and looked up at her again.

The girl sighed. "I also suppose it is time for me to follow it again in the shadows. Farewell, Inuyasha. Wield the Tetsusaiga well, for I shall always be there for it…and you." Tetsusaia stood on the branch, and then was gone in a wisp of smoke. A whisper went through the trees, and the group saw no more of the mystic guardian.


	12. Epilogue

***

"So let me get this straight. There's always been this ghost-like girl watching us? Looking after my sword? Ever since I got it, she's always been there?"

"That would be the case, Inuyasha." Kaede sat making tea. "In fact, I would not be surprised if she was within a short distance of the Tetsusaiga right now."

Miroku, Shippou, and Kagome looked around warily.

"That's a little creepy," Shippou commented.

"Yeah, well. You can't blame her, can you? _I_ think it's almost romantically tragic the way she won't abandon the sword. It's loyalty, full blown loyalty!" Kagome fantasized.

"Actually, I think it's more of a spell binding her to it. She _has_ to follow it, or she'll waste away and die like a mortal," Miroku mused.

"Either way, Inuyasha has the sword back, and things can go on as they always have. And that is: peacefully," Shippou added as he curled up in Kagome's lap to go to sleep.

"Feh. Whether or not she's out there, I'm gonna use this sword to its full potential," Inuyasha stated, finishing the conversation for good.


End file.
